In the world of Self-Help, a genre to which Americans are peculiarly addicted, Rachel Hollis is suddenly ascendant—her diminutive figure bolstered in 6 inch heels, her flawlessly high-lighted hair extensions framing her bright, inviting smile. She is the with-it cream at the very top of an already fulsome pitcher. Her enthusiastic “Girl, You Can Do It!” inspires millions of women to reach deep into their pockets and plunk down their money with a restless hope. Whether they wash their faces and take their lives unapologetically into their own hands or not, her message of self-actualization and self-improvement is hitting the discontented, anxious, middle-class suburban woman like a tuning fork—just the right note and just the right moment. Unhappily though, in a gospel of radical independence, Hollis casts a this-worldly vision, a utopia contingent upon the actions and motivations of the individual. 

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Anne Kennedy about her exclusive-online article  “Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis.”

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